The present invention relates to an apparatus for mixing fluid.
There are at present several types of mixing attachments used for mixing fluid such as paint. Typically, these attachments include means for attachment to a power tool such as a drill or other tool that causes the mixing attachment to rotate rapidly while immersed in the fluid to be mixed. The fluid is usually contained in a container. These attachments will also usually include at their distal end, i.e. the end of the attachment away from that which attaches to the power tool, lateral blades, cylinders, or other such members that push the fluid while the attachment rotates, thereby assisting in the mixing process.
Such existing mixing attachments are deficient in several respects. First, these attachments tend to be inefficient in that, in order to mix the fluid, they primarily rely upon the centrifugal forces caused by the rotational motion imparted to the fluid. Unfortunately, such centrifugal forces tend to merely push the fluid to the outer boundaries of the container it is in, and the resulting turbulence mixes the fluid rather slowly so that a great deal of time is required to thoroughly mix the fluid. Second, these attachments are relatively ineffective at drawing fluid upwards from the bottom of the container, resulting in a portion of the fluid in the container not being mixed thoroughly. Finally, these mixing attachments often not effective at mixing viscous fluids such as concrete because the attachments lack the sufficient capacity to deliver enough power to mix such fluids.
What is desired then, is an improved mixing apparatus capable of mixing fluid in a shorter period of time, capable of drawing fluid upwards from the bottom of a container, and capable of mixing relatively viscous fluids.